


Story Time

by kathkin



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 02:45:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4374185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathkin/pseuds/kathkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>“That’s no what you said this morning. Best carnival in the universe, you said. Once in a lifetime, you said.” / “I’m certain I was exaggerating.”</i> In which Jamie has the flu and the Doctor wants to read him a story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Story Time

“Now, now.” The Doctor fussed over Jamie’s pillows. “You’re really not missing much.”

“That’s no what you said this morning,” said Jamie.

“Ah –”

“Best carnival in the universe, you said.”

“Well –”

“Once in a lifetime, you said.”

“I’m certain I was exaggerating.” The Doctor stopped toying with the pillows and tucked Jamie’s blankets more securely around him. “Pop this in your mouth, now.” He produced a white stick, which he forced between Jamie’s lips.

“It’s just a wee cold, you know,” said Jamie around it.

“Flu, I think,” said the Doctor. “Put it under your tongue.”

“I’ll be on me feet tomorrow,” said Jamie, trying to sound like he believed it. 

“Stop talking with a thermometer in your mouth,” said the Doctor. “No, I mean it. Hush a moment.”

Jamie hushed sulkily. The stick beeped and the Doctor whipped it back, clucking his tongue. “Is that bad?” said Jamie.

“Your temperature is elevated,” said the Doctor.

“Eh?”

“I mean you have a fever,” the Doctor clarified.

“Oh.” Jamie sagged back against the pillows. “I could’ve told you that.” He swallowed thickly, his throat hurting. “I’ll be right as rain tomorrow, though. You’ll see.” If he kept saying it maybe it would come true. He had to strain to raise his voice above a whisper and truth be told he got dizzy if he so much as raised his head from the pillow, but still, he was determined not to be sick for longer than he had to be.

“Anyway, I’m sure Polly and Ben will have a lovely time without us,” the Doctor said, tucking away his stick.

“You’re nae goin’?” said Jamie.

“Of course I’m not going,” said the Doctor. “I can hardly leave you alone, can I? And here.” He pressed a purplish capsule into Jamie’s hand. “Swallow this. You’ll feel better.”

Jamie dutifully swallowed the capsule, wincing. “I’m sure I’d be alright by meself,” he croaked. “You can go if you want.”

“What, and come back to find you at death’s door?” said the Doctor. “No, thank you.”

“It’s a cold,” said Jamie adamantly.

“Flu,” the Doctor corrected. Jamie rolled his eyes at the ceiling.

“I just dinnae want to make you miss it,” he confessed.

“There’ll be other galactic convergences.” The Doctor patted his hand where it lay upon the blankets. “I’ll take you to the next one.”

“If you say so,” said Jamie, who still wasn’t at all sure what a galactic convergence was. Something to do with stars, he thought. He set his eyes hopefully on the contents of the Doctor’s tray. “Is that for me?”

“Oh, ah, yes.” The Doctor set a warm mug in his hands. “Here’s your cocoa.” 

Jamie sipped it gratefully, the hot, milky contents soothing his throat. “Mmm.”

“And this is for you.” The Doctor proffered a hardback book, somewhat tattered around the edges. Jamie blinked at it, torn between exasperation and embarrassment.

“I, erm,” he said, fumbling with the thick edge of his blanket, “I dinnae –”

“Oh, I know.” The Doctor opened the book upon his lap, licking his finger in preparation for turning the pages. “I’m going to read it to you.”

“You are?”

“I am,” said the Doctor. “ _The Little Prince_ by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.”

“Sounds French.” Jamie sipped his cocoa.

“Well, it _is_ French,” said the Doctor.

“I dinnae speak French,” Jamie said.

“This is the English version,” said the Doctor. “Are you going to pay attention? I do think you’ll like it. It has pictures.”

“Och, fine.” Jamie settled back against his carefully fluffed pillows. He was too tired to argue. “I might fall asleep, though.”

“Do your best.” The Doctor chucked him lightly under the chin, leaving him faintly startled.. “Now. _The Little Prince_.” He cleared his throat, and began to read.

“ _But they answered: frightened? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?” he went on. “My drawing was not a picture of a hat_ – ah yes, the drawing.” He’d got caught up in his reading and quite forgotten about it. He spread the pages of the book out for Jamie to inspect.

Jamie squinted. “Bit of an odd looking hat.”

“That’s rather the point,” said the Doctor. “It’s not a hat. It’s a boa constrictor.”

“Oh, aye,” said Jamie. “Just what is a boa constrictor, anyway?”

“Well –”

“And I dinnae see what any of this has to do with princes.”

“I am getting to the prince,” said the Doctor. “And a boa constrictor is a kind of snake. A very big snake.”

“Big enough t’swallow an elephant?” Jamie guessed.

“Hmm,” said the Doctor. “Maybe if it was a small elephant. Do pay attention, now. _It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant_ …”

Sipping his cocoa, Jamie snuggled down amidst his pillows like a bug in a rug and settled in to listen.

**Author's Note:**

> Excerpts from _The Little Prince_ are taken from Katherine Woods' unabridged translation.


End file.
